Another excuse to stare blankly at my screen and talk to myself!

I saw an interesting interview on Beliefnet with Rick Warren, and the interviewer brought up some things that I believe we need to be able to answer- correctly. If we do not have a firm, biblical foundation, the theology we build on that foundation gets way out of wack. We end up inserting what we think, instead of what scripture says.

Please understand that I am not trying to single out Pastor Warren, but I feel an obligation to speak up against bad theology, no matter who it is.

Pastor Warren’s messages are mixed with solid truth one minute and bad theology the next. For example, Pastor Warren says loud and clear that Jesus is the ONLY way to get to heaven– YEAH! But then he will say to the unsaved that God is not angry at them– EXCUSE ME? Doesn’t scripture say something about God’s anger and wrath on unbelievers? And these errors are not on some secondary issues, these are serious problems that effect how people respond to the gospel. These are FOUNDATIONAL issues.

Before watching the interview, there are a few basic things I want you to think about as you listen.

People are not sent to Hell just because they don’t believe in Jesus, they are sent to Hell primarily for breaking God’s laws. The Bible tells us that liars and thieves, adulterers, idolaters, covetous, and the sexually impure (and other law breakers) will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Unbelief IS a sin, but it is not the primary reason people are sent to Hell.

What happens to those who have never heard of Jesus? The Bible says that everyone is given a conscience (Rom 2:14-15). People know it is wrong to lie and steal and commit adultery. So if someone does not sin, they will be fine, but if they have broken the law, then they will be guilty before God, and will be judged according to light that they have.

If non-believers die in their sins, they are judged for ALL the sins they have committed. Every one. Every sin requires payment. Every sin requires that justice is done. Either you repent and put your faith in Jesus, and the price He paid for our sins , or you pay for your own sin be spending an eternity in Hell.

See if you can spot the “personal” beliefs of both the interviewer and Pastor Warren that have no basis in scripture.

I really like Rick Warren. What you have to understand is that we are human and there are many things we do not know and will never know. God is the only one who is all knowing. We will make mistakes.

In the meantime we have to do the best we can with what we have been given; God’s Word and the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. When we have a personal relationship with our creator through prayer, worship and reading His word, He speaks to us directly.

When we share what we receive from God, others may not understand and they therefore scrutinize and reject it. Most of the times the one’s rejecting are also the ones who reject God.

Rick admits in the interview that he is not perfect, and that is the point-none of us is perfect. He ended by saying: “if I am wrong I still have lived a good life.”

Rick is definitely confident in His choice and when a person is confident and sure of himself it does not matter what others say.

Well, I think he is a nice guy, but this is about correct theology, and in this area, Pastor Warren is as “soft” as they come. I know a lot of people who are confident, and who are flat out wrong. It is not about being perfect either, but the one area that we need to be the MOST clear is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Check out my other posts on Pastor Warren if you need other examples.